Inspiring words about the Council from Dale Marxer...with introduction from Vicki Marquis, Council Coordinator

Two years after his passing, I’m cleaning my desk (a rare event) and I come across some small yellow papers full of thoughtful scribbles – I knew immediately the treasure I’d found was Dale Marxer’s speech from the 2007 MACD Convention.  Dale Marxer was a beloved Cascade County Conservation District supervisor for more than 50 years and one of the Council’s “Founding Fathers”.  Here are the Council’s humble beginnings, in Dale’s words…

 I was asked to give you a little insight about the Missouri River Council since I was one of the original Council Members.  We first came up with a purpose:
We didn’t want this to be a guessing game, we wanted any decisions we made to be based on the best scientific information available.
We felt that all Districts should be working together, sharing information.  These 15 Districts cover a lot of different entities and concerns between here and the North Dakota border.  We felt a unified approach was needed to accomplish this. 
A unified approach is the only way we could get technical and financial assistance.
By Districts working together across boundaries, they can help a District solve a local problem.

 This brings us to our Mission Statement: 
To represent natural resource and environmental interests on the Missouri River.  The Council believes the conservation of the river and the sustainability of its various uses can best be accomplished through grassroots collaboration, education, incentives, and voluntary action.

I look at this country as a living thing.  Compare it to the human body – the Missouri River from here to St. Louis is a main artery through which the blood of agriculture, industry, municipalities, transportation, recreation… the list goes on and on….travels.  If the Missouri at Three Forks would go dry, a huge segment of this country would wither and die.